Silverstone to dedicate Hamilton Straight in honour of F1 champion

Silverstone is renaming its main pits straight the Hamilton Straight, in honour of him becoming the most successful Formula 1 driver in history.

It will become the only part of the circuit to be named after a driver, and will give Hamilton the opportunity to win next year’s British Grand Prix by taking the flag on the stretch of track dedicated to him.

David Coulthard, president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC), which owns Silverstone, told Hamilton of the decision ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“It is the first time in Silverstone’s history that a part of the circuit has been named after any individual,” said Coulthard. “Lewis has become a huge part of this history and the directors of the Club and I felt there was no better way to mark this than to re-name the iconic pits straight in recognition of his record-breaking achievements.”

Crowds have surged onto what was previously known as the International Pit Straight in recent years, to celebrate Hamilton victories underneath the podium.

Although there were no spectators at this year’s British Grand Prix, Hamilton will have fond memories of driving this part of the circuit in 2020. It was where he dragged his punctured Mercedes over the finish line to take a nail-biting win.

He’s taken the chequered flag there on six of his seven Silverstone F1 race wins. The straight was introduced in 2010 as part of a remodelling of Silverstone, and the Wing complex over the pitlane arrived the following year.